Myths of Work

Dispel the Misconceptions and Succeed in the World of Work

Ian MacRae

• Publisher: Kogan Page
• Year: 2022
• Print ISBN:
  9781398608573
• Edition: 2
• eBook ISBN:
  9781398608580
• Topic: Business
• Subtopic: Human Resource Management
• Index: Business

Buying a table tennis table will make your staff happier. Working eight hours a day, five days a week, will result in the most productivity. Paying higher salaries will always result in higher motivation. But will it really?

There are a staggering number of myths, stereotypes and out-of-date rules that abound in the workplace. This can make it feel impossible to truly know how to get the most out of your career, your team and your company. In Myths of Work, Ian MacRae take an entertaining and evidence-based look at the most pervasive myths about our working lives, from the serious to the ridiculous, to give you the insight you need to become a better manager in the modern workplace. Fascinating real life case studies from organizations around the world display the myths (and how to overcome them) in practice.

Myths of Work combines business thinking with psychology to give you practical insights, a lively writing style and a handy dip-in-and-out structure to form your ultimate guide to becoming a better and enlightened manager.

About the Business Myths series...
The Business Myths series tackles the falsehoods that pervade the business world. From leadership and management to social media and the workplace, these accessible books overturn out-of-date assumptions, skewer stereotypes and put oft-repeated slogans to the myth-busting test. Both entertaining and rigorously researched, these books will equip you with the insight and no-nonsense wisdom you need to succeed.

Table of contents

• Acknowledgements
• Introduction
• Myth 1  Staff should work eight-hour days, Monday to Friday
• Myth 2  Working from home reduces productivity
• Myth 3  Social media should never be used at work
• Myth 4  Listening to music while working is distracting
• Myth 5  Health and safety is the enemy
• Myth 6  Surveillance improves performance
• Myth 7  Creating a Google-style office environment will make staff more innovative
• Myth 8  Mindfulness is the answer to all problems
• Myth 9  Neuroscience is the silver bullet to workplace problems
• Myth 10  Start-ups need a different type of leader to succeed
• Myth 11  It’s better to have higher self-esteem at work
• Myth 12  We only use 10 per cent of our brain at work
• Myth 13  Making workplaces sustainable is a burden
• Myth 14  The best way to motivate people is to pay them more
• Myth 15  Employees who work the longest hours are the most valuable people
• Myth 16  People should retire at 65
• Myth 17  Perfectionists make the best employees
• Myth 18  Women aren’t as competitive as men at work
• Myth 19  People’s personalities can be sorted into categories at work
• Myth 20  Sexuality and gender should be taken into account at work
• Myth 21  Millennials are changing the workplace
• Myth 22  Co-workers should not form romantic relationships
• Myth 23  Teaching and training are the same
• Myth 24  Annual appraisals are the best way to measure performance
• Myth 25  High achievers always make great managers
• Myth 26  A computer is going to take your job
• Myth 27  Open-plan offices are always the best option
• Index